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I’m a smoker (gasp) and not proud of it. Besides pre-mature wrinkles, stained teeth and bad breath, not to mention chest and lung issues, smoking is less then glamorous. Bottom line, smoking stinks! And I mean, everywhere! On your skin, clothes, car and hair. And then just yesterday, I received a great little package filled with delightfull smelling hair fragrances. Being the hair fanatic that I am, I was cautious to try out this new product. What if it stripped my color? Or even worse, died my hair? Or maybe it would cause breakage? (Ironic, I know, considering all of the damage the ciggies are doing to my insides). But being an unbiased reporter means putting yourself on the line, even if that means testing a product on my million dollar mane. Alas, I have fabulous news! These hair fragrances ROCK!!! Not only do they smell divine, they are also alcohol free AND they won’t cause frizziness! Plus, they’re not so over-powering as to distract from an everyday perfume!Pure & Petal Hair Fragrances come in four sinfully yummy aromas: sublime citrus, heavenly clean, linden blossom and summer passion (pictured). And even if you’re not a smoker (which I hope you aren’t!), we all know that over-washing your hair leads to dull, thinning, broken, stripped locks. So now there are no excuses! Take care of that hair… and smell fresh in between washings!To purchase Pure & Petal Hair Fragrances, CLICK HERE!

Last night, my dear friend, the beautiful Ms. Zoe Winkler (below, left), asked me how often she should wash her hair. I responded, “about every other day if your hair is healthy. Every third day if it’s more dry.” She said, “But I wash my hair every day. It gets so dirty, I have to.”

Here’s TRICK NUMBER ONE:You never HAVE to wash your hair every day. It strips your hair of natural oils that stimulate hair growth and it thins the hair shaft. Instead, try washing ONLY THE FRONT of your hair… if you have bangs, just wash the bangs. If you don’t have bangs, wash the area that could/ would be where you’d have bangs. This is the part of your hair that you most often touch, thus it becomes noticeably greasey and oily much faster then the rest of your hair.

TRICK NUMBER TWO:Instead of washing your hair, try using good old fashioned baby powder. I suggest pouring the baby powder into the palm of your hands and then applying directly to the scalp. Flip hair over and massage into the scalp as you would any regular shampoo. The baby powder absorbs oil, adds volume and masks the smell of dirty hair!!! There are quite a few products on the market from high-end companies such as BUMBLE & BUMBLE’S HAIR POWDER, but personally I find that baby powder does the trick for a fraction of the price (not to mention, the scent is very nostalgic)!!!

TRICK NUMBER THREE:Using a paddle brush, brush hair from roots to ends PRIOR to washing hair. This evenly distributes the hair’s natural oils AND detangles hair for a clean shampoo. I suggest brushing your hair every day, but curly haired folks can’t always follow this rule so, at the very least, brush your hair prior to washing and then after conditioning!

It’s been awhile, I know. But I’ve been crazy busy with a myriad of beauty inspired projects (to be discussed in later blogs…).So let’s move on to some beauty banter. This week’s must-have is a product that I recently resurrected from the mucky shelves of my bathroom. It’s a product that I purchased some time ago in my favorite vacation spot, St. Barth. It is also a product with various uses (a “two-in-one” if you will). Ligne St. Barth’s Avacado Oil (see below) is a fabulous skin AND hair oil that moisturizes and replenishes dry, broken and chapped areas of the body. I use it in conjunction with a regular lotion to add shine and lustre to my skin. And I even use it on the tips of my hair to help calm the frizzies. It smells delicious too – not too potent but subtle enough to evoke a “just been on vacation” aura.The back of the bottle reads: “Applied on damp skin it’s softening and soothing. As an oil bath on damp hair (30 min.), it gives renewed vitality, life and body to your hair. Wash out with a mild shampoo.”However you choose to use the oil, I can assure you that this product will become one of your absolute favorites!P.S. Take a look at the ENTIRE line of Ligne St. Barth body and hair products!

No winners yet! Is the famous eyes challenge really that hard? I’ll give you a clue. Here is number *3*…JESSICA SIMPSON!!!As for some beauty banter, I’m still really into straight, blown out hair, so while you all guess away, check out this awesome blow-dryer, complete with three different sized attachment brushes and ION energy! Vidal Sassoon’s Fast Dry, Professional Styling Dryer, 1875W VS540.I’m a huge fan of the dryer as it cuts down my straightening from hours to minutes…. literally. And with the ion power, it doesn’t dry out your hair! ALSO, make sure to always use a styling product prior to blow drying to safe-guard your hair. Try Bumble & Bumble Prep. Besides acting as a detangler, it also provides protection against heat from a blow dryer or flat iron!What’s your pre-blow-out product of choice?

Anyone who knows me knows that I have a little obsession with hair. Straight, curly, colored, or natural, beautiful hair is my weakness. And recently, since reading the Grazia, “100 New Beauty Rules You Need to Know for Autumn,I have been religiously blow drying my hair straight. I’m in LA and the heat is intense. Mix 100 degree smoldering sun, with quick jaunts into the ocean (salt water + colored hair = disaster), and blow drying, and you’ve got dry, stressed, tattered tressles. For a self-proclaimed hair obsessor, this is, “so NOT a good look.” So I decided to do some web research… what treatments could I put on my tender lockes? Here are some favorites that I came across (***NOTE*** these can ALL be made from the comfort of your own home. TRANSLATION – no salon visit necessary!)

*1*Olive Oil Hair MaskMix 5 tablespoon of olive oil with 2 eggs. Apply throughly to hair. Wrap head with plastic wrap or a shower cap. After 15 minutes rinse well.*2*Honey & Olive Oil Hair Mask -1Mix 2 tablespoon honey with 3 tablespoon olive oil. Apply throughly to hair. Cover hair with plastic wrap or a shower cap. After 15 minutes shampoo and rinse well.*3*Beautiful Gorgeous Hair Mask After you shampoo your hair, pour 1 cup fresh lemon juice or vinegar through hair and massage and rinse with water. Apply your usual conditioner and wash with water. It will remove all the dirt and your hair will be shine sparkling. Do not repeat this method before 2 weeks.*4*Beautiful Gorgeous Hair MaskGrind fenugreek (methi) seeds soaked in water overnight. Massage this paste on scalp and hair and leave it for15-20 minutes. Wash it off with a mild shampoo. This paste is good for all types of hair problems, viz. dandruffs, falling hair, thinning of hair, baldness, split hair, etc.*5*Hair Rinse for soft and shiny hairMix 1 Tbsp of following herbs with enough boiling water and let it stand for 1/2 an hour. Add 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar and mix well. Shampoo your hair. Pour mixture over hair repeatedly. Vinegar will seal the hair cuticle. Use the herbs as following:For hair general care: rosemary leaves, nettle, burdock root, elder flowersFor dry hair: chamomile flowers, comfrey root, nettle, elder flowersFor oily hair: lemon peel, , peppermint, lemongrass*6*Shining HairMix juice of one fresh orange, water, 1 tablespoon Honey and a few drops (5-7) of sandalwood oil. Use as an after-shampoo rinse. Beat two eggs in a tablespoon of milk and apply on your hair. Rinse your hair after 5-7 minutes to get an instant shining.Add a 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar in water and rinse your hair.*7*For Damaged HairMash a ripe banana with a few drops of almond oil and massage into hair. Leave it for about 15 minutes. Rinse with soda water and then shampoo and condition.*8*Dry HairMix 1 tablespoon of honey in half cup of full cream milk. Massage on the scalp and leave it for 15 minutes. Wash with a mild shampoo.Combine 1 banana, 1 egg, 1/4 cup honey, about 3 Tbs of milk and about 5 Tbs spoons of olive oil. Massage on the scalp and leave it for 15 minutes. Wash with a mild shampoo.Zinc and essential fatty acids (pumpkin seeds, nuts, vegetable oils) are good for dry hair. Eating the foods rich in zinc help.*9*Falling Hair, Hair LossRub Indian gooseberry (Amla) into the scalp regularly. It can show wonderful results, it will stop hair falling.Eat a protein rich diet inluding green leafy vegetables, carrots, mango, dried apricots, whole grain cereals, sprouts, lentils in the daily diet for the hair loss and falling hair.

Source.So try out a treatment and let us know how it works! Or email us with your own, do-it-yourself hair treatment!

We’ve all been there before…. Frightened and anxious as the swivled chair rotates around and we are faced with our reflection in the massive mirror. The hair dresser utters some inaudible, French (tres jolie!) and we are meant to coo in adoration. But sometimes, as rare as it may be, we are turned around in that chair only to discover that we don’t recognize the HAIR that’s gawking back at us! Welcome to victims of a hair trauma…Here is a fantastic hair horror story shared by my hair-crazed friend, Jenny Cohen:More or less in her own words – “I went to Oscar Blondie to get my hair colored and when they washed the color off I could tell that it lacked a brightness. There was no definitive hair color (i.e. blonde, brunette, auburn, etc.) that I could categorize my new mane. It lacked everything. I looked insipid, ashy and sullen. It literally looked like a beige couch. Not only had my base been lifted to match my skintone exactly and provide no contrast, the highlights were ashy and beige. I told him that this wasn’t what I asked for and he said, “well beige is the new blonde.” I replied, “you’ll be hearing from my lawyer.” Meanwhile, crying and hiding my beige disaster, I came home and immediately jumped into the shower. I washed my hair nearly six times to try and strip the color – to the point that the cuticle was inflamed and my hair was puffy and my fingers were pruned. By the third day I actually took draino and poured it on my locks in an attempt to reverse the effects of the colorist. It worked to strip the color, but it also broke the rest of my hair to pieces.”

I’m sure that you all are wondering, with a psycho hair freak such as Jenny, what products does she actually trust to put on her beloved tressles.ASK AND YOU SHALL RECEIVE!!!Jenny’s favorite hair products:Kerastase Oleo-Relax Ultimate Controlling Elixer Serum – “This is the only oil product that doesn’t dull my color. It gives more texture to the color on the ends. It creates more of a golden sheen. Only apply on dry hair to the ends. Use less then a dime size,” cautions Jenny.Kerastase Mini Travel Set #2 Shampoo and Conditioner for thick hair, Masqueintense – available at salon’s that carry the ENTIRE line, only. This is very hard to come by. Jenny says, “Make sure the label reads, ‘Made in Spain’ to ensure that the product is authentic.” “I only use the travel size products after a trip to Miami where my hair, texture and color looked more vibrant and healthy when using the travel set. I believe that the ingredients in the travel sized products is more potent then the larger, mass-produced sizes,” explains Jenny.Frederic Fekkai Technician Shampoo for Dry, Damaged, Color-Treated Hair – “This is the only shampoo that I will alterante Kerastase with. It actually strips the hair, thus brightening it, because it is such a strong shampoo. With the avocado oil, it’s better for humidity because it weighs the hair down,” says Jenny.Frederic Fekkai Protein Rx Reparative Conditioner – “I only use the product in the bottle, not in the jar because I don’t like the way the jar looks. I’m not experiemental with products because using a product that contains the wrong ingredients can ruin my hair. I use this conditioner once a month, only in California where the water is softer. It strengthens the hair, prevents breakage and brings the color back to its true state.”Mason Pearson Child’s Sensitive Hair Brush – “I use this brush when I travel to detangle and distribute oils because it doesn’t contain any nylon brisstles. Nylon’s plastic so it breaks the hair if it’s not first detangled.”Mason Pearson Junior Hair Brush – “I use this brush after the detangling brush to massage the scalp. And then I get into the shower and I wash my hair.”EXTRA TIP:Jenny swears by only washing her hair every three to four days. “Only have a professional blow it out,” she says. “If you do it yourself, you are bound to break the hair. This is one of the times when it’s imperative to ‘not try this at home.’”P.S. “If you want some lift in your hair, brush it upside down with a round brush and bend the ends,” adds Jenny.Tell us YOUR hair horror stories!

I often quip that I’ve spent close to a million dollars on my hair. But if you think about it, this isn’t such a far-fetched estimate. I do confess that I have pretty fabulous locks, but beauty doesn’t come without a price tag. Like every other self-proclaimed hair fanatic, my hair can actually be more high maintenance then me. Case in point:

1: Sadly, the color is not au natural (shocker!). Thus, I am forced to visit my colorist every four to six weeks for a little color maintenance. Price tag – full head of highlights; $350.00